Garbage burning under Metro line disrupts services

Thick smoke from a garbage dump under the Versova–Andheri metro, on Saturday, caused a four minute halt of services due to reduced visibility.

The incident that occurred near Asalpha – two stations before Ghatkopar – has revealed the threat that the unguarded, open corridors under the Metro pose to security. Officials, however, are hesitant to barricade these stretches fearing opposition from locals.

The fire started at a patch under the Metro that is used as a dumping ground for scrapped vehicles. “On Saturday morning at 10:14 am, the Metro pilot spotted smoke issuing from below the viaduct and promptly halted the train. It was found that the smoke was caused by burning of garbage on the road by a local.” Subsequent rushes by the police and the fire officials to extinguish the flames lead local traffic to stand still.

While traffic experts and activists have criticized these open stretches, the MMRDA officials fear barricading these areas as it is stiffly opposed by locals and attempting to do so may lead to law and order problems. More info